Just getting everything together for the 7,500 service and the cost of the plugs were a bit of a shock. And why does Kawasaki say 7,500 on the plug change BUT every two years on the air filter? You have to pull the filter to get the plugs out, right?

Should I clean the factory filter or replace it with another Stock filter element or aftermarket at twice the cost?

Other than that I keep 3qts of sys on hand along with the oil filter and gasket and junk.

Should I pull the swing arm and grease the bearings while I'm at it? If it like the one in my KLR there wasn't enough grease to lube a ant's a$$ in all of them together.

BTW if you use a pit stand and put the tail trunk on your V and then try and jack it up, your going to have a BAD day! Note to self pull box and plate so I don't bash my head in again!

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I would not change plugs yet unless you are noticing problems. Mine looked really good yet at 15,000 miles. I didn't touch the filter until 15,000 either and I ride a fair amount of gravel. I posted some pics in another thread.

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I cleaned the stock filter at around 7500 miles (last week). It seemed to me that it had way too much oil on it. It was super-saturated. I re-oiled it (lightly!) and re-installed it before my "trip", and I saw better mileage than I'd seen in the past.

I ran 4 tanks through the V. Mileage was 50mpg, 55mpg, 56mpg, and 51mpg. The first and last tanks had more interstate miles getting to the good riding, and getting home again. . . .

I'm waiting on the sparkplugs 'til 15,000 miles or possibly this winter based on other posts here.

The tool kit sparkplug socket Thingy and a14mm wrench will allow removal of the plugs without removing anything else. Standard NGK plugs can be found much cheaper on-line. And they last more than 7500 miles. If you have'nt cleaned the air filter at 7500 miles it's likely due though.

The real shocker was, I call the local Kaw dealer and was quoted $14 per valve shim.
They are a single piece of metal 3.05mm thick by 7.5mm in diameter. If you needed to re-shim every valve it would cost $120 just for the shims.

The real shocker was, I call the local Kaw dealer and was quoted $14 per valve shim.
They are a single piece of metal 3.05mm thick by 7.5mm in diameter. If you needed to re-shim every valve it would cost $120 just for the shims.

Local independant had them for $4 ea.

After reading a post by "invader" where he works his shims down on emery cloth, I decided to try it (along with LOTS of others)....

It works like a DAMN! And - you end up with EXACTLY the clearances you need.

Try a "SEARCH" for it.

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I thinned and switched some shims around, to set all my inlet valves' clearances at 0.18 mm, and exhausts at 0.26 mm near middle of spec range. I used wet fine emery cloth on a flat wood surface to thin some of my original shims.

If you're not up to the task, you can get 7.48 mm diameter shims (same as Versys) in 0.025 mm increments (instead of only 0.050 mm increments) in 2.50 mm to 3.50 mm thicknesses.

I BELIEVE that over-bucket shims (like on KLR650s) are hardened because they contact the cam lobes, but that under-bucket ones don't need to be. After 'doing' mine on emery cloth, I can say, pretty unequivocally, that they ain't hardened (or I'd STILL be working on them...!).

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most shops will trade shims for ones in stock in the mechanics shim bins in the back...you just won't have any spares. the shims spin in/under the bucket so I wouldn't hand grind them... odds of getting them perfectly square surfaced by hand is slim to none imo.

I would not change plugs yet unless you are noticing problems. Mine looked really good yet at 15,000 miles. I didn't touch the filter until 15,000 either and I ride a fair amount of gravel. I posted some pics in another thread.

I also did a lot of dirt road riding on my 09. Every time I cleaned the filter I found sand and grit behind it. And I am also in the middle of troubleshooting a oil consumption problem now with 45k on the clock. I saw a thread somewhere in which a guy added pod filers behind the stock filter. In my case, I wish I had done that earlier, and I may do it now once I find root cause on my oil issue. Thread is here Oil consumption and sludge 40k miles